Of Owls and Handguns
by TheAlpacaIllusionist
Summary: Hermione wanted to fit in. Xanxus wanted to screw the system. Neville wanted acknowledgement. Dumbledore wanted forgiveness. Squalo just wanted everyone to shut the hell up and do as they were told (Chrome quietly agreed with him). Everyone wanted something and it seemed Harry Potter—I mean, Tsunayoshi Sawada—was the perfect person to give them what they wanted.
1. Prologue

**Of Owls and Handguns**

 _By TheAlpacaIllusionist_

* * *

 _Hermione wanted to fit in. Xanxus wanted to screw the system. Neville wanted acknowledgement. Dumbledore wanted forgiveness. Squalo just wanted everyone to shut the hell up and do as they were told. Everyone wanted something and it seemed Harry Potter—I mean, Tsunayoshi Sawada—was the perfect person to give them what they wanted._

* * *

 **Prologue: And There Began His Story…**

Eleven long years ago, on a particularly dreary Halloween night, Harry Potter was being set down in his hand carved crib in a quaint little house nestled in the historical wizarding settlement of Godric's Hollow. It was late and by this point in the evening, many trick-or-treaters had left the streets to return to the warmth of their homes where they could count and hide away the night's spoils. However, for Lily and James Potter, Harry's biological parents, muggle traditions were the last things on their minds. As Lily put her son, her sweet, sweet boy, down in the plush sheets of his bed ( _"Really, Daddy? You're giving this to us? It's beautiful!" Lily cried as she hugged her father who had just presented her and her husband with the hand made crib)_ , thinking belatedly of how Sirius Black had promised a visit the following morning, there was a knock at the door. A knock which she dismissed, that is, until that knock suddenly became the hinges being blown off the wall and James shouting out that _he was there, in their home, he was there, but he couldn't get Harry, not Harry, please never Harry, not my sweet, darling boy, not him, never him, Merlin no, please, please, pleasepleaseplease._

Death comes quickly when one is hit by the killing curse. James ( _"You're going to be a father," she told him, quite out of the blue. In response, James nearly fell from his chair before an expression of such pride took over any shock that remained on his face)_ was on the floor before the flash of green had faded from the entry hall, eyes glassy, wand in his warm hand, and glasses shattered only a few feet from him.

Lily knew what would come next. She grabbed the son she loved with every inch of her life, and she held him close even as his wide amber, tear-filled eyes stared up in fear. Her own tears she kept at bay, running to the door of the nursery even as she heard the rustle of robes on the steps down the hall. Her thoughts were reeling, her heart pounding, her mind a mess of fear and love for her child, because _no, not James, why James, James, please, no, I_ love _you! And, oh god, Harry, Harry, my precious star, my beautiful son, my love, I love you, I love you, he won't get you, I promise, no, no, no, not my Harry, not my baby, not my dear, dear boy, I promise._

"Mommy loves you," she whispered, sitting him down once more in the crib, ignoring that deep tawny gaze watching her through the bars. "Daddy loves you," she added for good measure as the door to the nursery ( _James laughed as he flicked white paint at Lily. "We could always just magic the paint onto the door," he said even as Lily flicked paint back at him, her belly swollen because that was her baby in there, hers and James'. He wasn't going to be born for another few weeks, but they both already loved him so much)_ flew wide open.

Lily couldn't stop the scream that escaped her, couldn't stop herself as she threw herself in front of her son ( _Lily gave one last push and then the room went quiet. Countless seconds of_ _silence went by before a loud cry filled the air. In moments, the infant was in her arms and the red head found herself crying because this was her child and Merlin help her if he grew up in a world dominated by blood supremacy and the like. "My son," she murmured and James knelt down beside her, the happiness in his eyes matched only by that time that she finally agreed to date him. "Our son," she corrected._ )

"You can't have him!" she cried, the tears she'd been fighting now running down her face.

"Step aside!" The voice was high and cold, somehow exactly as she had imagined it.

"No!" _No, no, no, no!_ She'd said it once, she'd say it a thousand more times. No. This monster who was no longer a man would not lay a finger on her boy, not as long as someone in this cruel, cruel world loved him.

"Very well then," that clear voice murmured from beneath the black fabrics that hid his face. And Lily barely saw it coming, her green eyes focusing on her child, the sweet boy who she knew would be an orphan after this night because—

—Lily fell to the blast of green magic, just as her husband ( _"Oh James," Lily laughed into her husband's shoulder. "It's perfect." And it was. Despite the war the waged around them, despite the fact that one of them may leave the house to never return, everything, from the nursery to their love for the child growing inside of her was perfect)_ before her.

Harry's cries filled the room, but the demon in black did not care. From beneath his hood, his gaze was level and red, inhuman. Just as he did for the boy's parents before, he raised a single pale hand and cast the spell he'd cast so many times, no reason to suspect that anything abnormal would happen.

But something abnormal _did_ happen. Most people don't know what it was that happened, most people don't know any of the story beyond what the world believed had happened. The only thing the wizarding world knows is true is that while Lily and James Potter lost their lives that night, Harry Potter did not. He escaped the night with naught but a lightning shaped scar while the one that everyone feared, the one whose name most dared not utter, did not escape at all. Lord Voldemort, the bane of the Wizarding World, met his end that night.

While Harry's cries filled the eerily silent room, children dressed in silly costumes, unaware of what had just occurred only a few dozen feet from where they stood, laughed amongst each other as they shared in innocent fun, their joy filling up the quiet of the night.

* * *

And so, Hagrid found the crying infant, unaware that he had not been the first to enter the Potter household after the horrific events that had occurred. But he _was_ the first to spare the orphaned child more than a second glance.

Hagrid, friendly, giant Hagrid (the same Hagrid that would, eleven years later, tell the child before him that he was a wizard) grabbed the bundle of blankets and followed Dumbledore's orders. Not the original orders, no, those were scrapped the moment Dumbledore learned of the cold-blooded murder of Lily's sister and her family, but the revised orders.

The giant man mounted his bike (Sirius' bike, the one he gave him out of grief and sadness only hours before) and began the long flight that would carry him from England, away into another continent entirely.

To Japan.

It was there that Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid left the one year old child on the front step of a normal house in the suburbs. It was there that Harry Potter, saviour of the wizarding world, faded away into Tsunayoshi Sawada, useless punching bag extraordinaire, and no one would dare to disturb this established equilibrium until the day that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sent out a very peculiar letter that left the members of the Sawada household reeling.

* * *

Author's Note: This is my baby. I am still undecided over whether or not I should post each year and each summer as its own (very long) chapter or if I should break them up into parts...hmm, decisions.

Other than that, any characters you're hoping will show up? How will Tsuna being Harry screw up HP canon? Is Dumbledore good or bad in this fic? Was Tsuna still sealed by Timoteo? And who will be Vongola Decimo if Tsuna is going to Hogwarts? Questions, questions... until next time.


	2. The World That Does Not Know Him

**Part I: The Boy-Who-Lived**

 **One: The World That Does Not Know Him**

When the habitants of the Wizarding World pictured their saviour, they pictured a young, wide eyed boy who was the spitting image of either his mother or his father. He would be brash and talented, eager to prove himself to those who saw him, and undeniably determined in all matters requiring bravery and heroics.

Said wizards and witches would also be the first to admit that they didn't _quite_ picture a quiet, understated brunette with large doe eyes and spiky, yet oddly fluffy hair. He wasn't impetuous or eager and people doubted he would be even sorted into Gryffindor, the proud House of his parents. Most, once setting eyes on him, immediately pegged him as an obediently loyal Hufflepuff.

The truth of the matter was simple. Harry Potter was Tsunayoshi Sawada, or better yet, Tsunayoshi Sawada _was_ Harry Potter. They were one in the same and yet, the moment people set their eyes on him, the illusions that the wizarding world had about their saviour were dashed. How could this meek looking child be the one who _slayed_ their greatest evil? Well, the answers to _that_ particular question were varied, and most doubted that they would ever know the full truth.

Either way, it was poor Tsunayoshi Sawada who was the doe eyed, quiet boy who stood alone in King's Cross Station searching for a way onto the platform that was written on his train ticket. He was utterly confused, still adjusting to the potion that had allowed him instant access to the English language.

"Is it safe?" had been his first thought when the potion had been shoved into his trembling hands.

"Temporary," was the unhelpful reply. Temporary could mean so many things. However, in the end, it did work, so Tsunayoshi counted that as a win. Even if it made his eyes blur when reading and his writing was still not as fluid as it probably ought to be.

You must understand one thing about Tsunayoshi. He was Japanese, at least, he grew up in Japan surrounded by a Japanese family he thought was his own, in a Japanese town, populated by Japanese people, attending a Japanese school, fluently speaking the Japanese language and writing everything in Japanese characters. It had barely been one month since his eleventh birthday at the end of July and so almost one month since he had learned that he was actually a member of a secret magical society that was scattered across the world. He was a wizard, or so the giant man named Hagrid had explained to him. The couple he had come to only reluctantly call mother and father were technically only distant relatives. The same was true for his older, more talented not-brother. The three people he had been forced to live with for the past eleven years were nothing more than a pseudo-family. He wasn't even Japanese! At least, he didn't _think_ he was, going by what Hagrid had told him.

It was all extremely confusing, how everyone related to everyone else. His real parents were Lily and James Potter, two real-life British magical folks who had been murdered by an equally magical megalomaniac. Again, the story was confusing and Tsuna had a difficult time understanding even half of it. Something about a Dark Lord and a Killing Curse, and his special lightning bolt shaped scar that was smack dab in the centre of his forehead and was like a homing beacon for every wizard he had met thus far. He had survived where everyone else had died and therefore, he had the pleasure of becoming something akin to a hero.

Either way, Tsuna was standing, surrounded by oblivious travellers in one of the largest train stations in a country he had never visited before. He was carrying with him a trolley that held his trunk, his bag and his newly acquired cat, Natsu. Just in front of him was a pillar that had Platform Nine on one side and Platform Ten on the other. Where was Platform Nine and Three Quarters? Was there even such a thing? Was this all one enormous prank pulled on him by his less than loving family? He hoped not because for a moment he had believed that not everyone on this earth hated him. That feeling of acceptance was one he was not so willing to let go.

He decided to ask a friendly looking woman standing a few feet from him.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but how do I get onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters?" His words were thought up in Japanese, but somewhere between thinking them and speaking them, they'd been turned into some strangely accented version of English that he could somewhat understand. The feeling was rather unpleasant, Tsuna had come to realize.

The woman, meanwhile, carrying a young child, scowled at him the moment the question registered in her mind and left him standing there with his trolley. Now he had to find someone else to help him find the seemingly nonexistent platform.

Just when the eleven-year-old was about to give up, a woman pushed through the throng of people around him, flanked on either side by two children around his age who could pass as twins. Both had the same odd style of hair. The girl was dressed in pale green clothes and wore an unfortunate eye patch over her right eye. The boy was dressed in a dark green jacket, with a pale blue shirt beneath, a terrible scowl marring what would otherwise be quite handsome features.

"Why are we using the muggle way? Last year we just apparated onto the platform. It would be so much easier."

 _Muggle_. The word that Hagrid had used to describe those who did not have magic. _Wizard_ , Tsuna's mind supplied.

"Mukuro, dear, you know how your sister gets with side-along apparition. She can't handle it." The woman barely glanced at her son as she finally paused and looked around her. She was standing at the brick column between the platforms nine and ten. "You go first, hon. Your sister and I will follow." The boy smirked and pushed his trunk through the wall. Tsuna hadn't been expecting it and was stunned. "You better be waiting on the other side, young man!" she called just as the hem of his pant leg disappeared through the solid, or not so solid, brick.

"Um . . ." Tsuna walked towards the woman who didn't appear all too kind, but apparently knew how to get where he wanted to be. "Excuse me!" Tsuna yelled over the sound of the non-magical people around him. "Excuse me!" The woman, appearing to be trying to ignore him, finally realized that she could no longer and finally gazed at him in the eye.

"Hello, child. And where are your parents?" Tsuna swallowed, catching a glance of the purple haired girl hiding behind her mother, a stuffed snowy owl clenched tightly in her arms.

"Uh, not h-here," he said nervously. It was sadly true, for both sets of parents. "I was just wondering . . . if you knew h-how to get onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters?"

"Ah, not a muggle, then. It must be your first time going to Hogwarts? It's Chrome's first time, too." Chrome leaned around her mother and gave Tsuna a look over before sliding back behind her. "She has a chronic shyness that healers simply cannot get rid of, so you'll have to excuse her behavior. Now, you just need to run through the wall there, right in the middle, and you'll be on the platform. You can walk it, if you'd like, but running's best if you haven't done it before."

Tsuna nodded his thanks and did as the woman had directed him, running, trunk and all, through the wall. When he opened the eyes he didn't realize he had closed, he saw before him a gleaming, scarlet steam engine. White vapor rose from a spot up top and golden letters proudly proclaimed that it was the Hogwarts Express. He gazed on in awe, forgetting the two women who were to follow him through the wall until the collided with him, Chrome flailing over him and his trunk falling off the trolley.

"H-Hiie! I'm sorry!" Tsuna struggled to attempt to help the fallen girl. Moments later, the girl's mother was there, but she had avoided a second collision.

"It's alright," Chrome's mother said sharply as she used her wand ( _oh, we actually use that thing!?_ ) to clean up the mess of Tsuna's fallen and trunk, and then lent a hand to help Chrome stand. "It was nice meeting you . . . ?"

Tsuna swallowed. He had made the conscious decision on the way to London that he'd rather not be known by the name that was apparently actually his real name. He didn't like the name Harry, for more reasons than one.

"Sawa—er, Tsuna. My name is Tsuna Sawada." Despite the potion, his Japanese habit of saying last names first remained and he had to consciously remind himself that in English speaking places, his family name did not come first.

"It was nice meeting you, Tsuna. Enjoy your school year. Now come along, Chrome. Your brother seems to have disappeared on us."

As Chrome and her mother disappeared into the crowd of wizards, Tsuna took a moment to look at the sights and acknowledge the sounds around him. This magical station seemed so different compared to its Muggle counterpart.

The people were the main difference, dressed mostly in long flourishing robes of various colors, though there were some who remained in Muggle clothing. Well over half of the people were children, wishing their parents goodbye before getting into the long red train which was, according to the clock on the column adjacent to him, set to depart in fifteen minutes.

Tsuna glanced around, his mind narrowing in on several groups. The furthest from him was an older woman and a chubby brunette boy around his age. The woman seemed old enough to be the boy's grandmother and her clothing seemed ancient and tasteless. The vulture (stuffed, it seemed) in her hat was cringeworthy. The way she slapped the boy on his shoulder made him turn away, uncomfortable.

A few metres away there was an older gentleman speaking to a teenage boy. This man, too, seemed old enough to be the boy's grandfather with elegantly styled silver hair and a long cane. He was dressed to the nines in a pinstripe suit and was speaking to the older teen with overwhelming longing in his eyes. The boy himself was tall and wearing mostly black. His hair was spiked slightly, a dark tan dyeing his skin several shades darker than he already was. He responded to all the older man's affections with a glare. Many men surrounded these two, dressed in dark suits and glasses. They were attempting to be inconspicuous, but they were far from it. Tsuna's eyes slid over them, a part of him acknowledging that this farewell deserved more privacy than it was afforded.

Nearby, someone was shouting at the top of their lungs. Each loud decibel reverberated through Tsuna's skull causing him to search for the source of it. It turned out to be yet another older male student. This time he had long silver hair, something he must have been growing out for a long time. He was shouting at some frizzy haired girl who looked as if she had accidentally walked right into him.

 _Hiie_ _! W_ _hat a mean guy!_

Deciding that he should get a spot on the train lest he be stuck sitting with a group of people he'd rather not, Tsuna quickly got his luggage where it needed to be before climbing onto the scarlet train. He wandered down the main hallway, glancing in at already occupied compartments and more chatting students. Most of them looked well acquainted with each other, so he found himself searching for an empty compartment.

Eventually, about three quarters into the train, he found what he was looking for. He settled himself into it and stared out the window, watching the people he had seen earlier as they finally managed to separate themselves from their families and board the train, too.

The train whistled again, signalling that it was about to leave the station. Children hung out the windows, waving goodbye to their parents before, with a large surge, the train moved forward. It was slow at first, but, before long, they were out of the station and moving into the city.

There was a knock on the frosted glass pane of his compartment not moments after the train had begun its journey. Tsuna glanced up, surprised. It was the chubby brunette who had been talking to the vulture woman on the platform. Up close, Tsuna noted that he was very obviously nervous, but he had a very kind looking face.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I was hoping that this compartment was empty. I'll go find another."

Just as he was turning to exit, Tsuna stopped the boy, surprising even himself as he yelped out a hurried, "Wait!" The boy did pause in response, much to Tsuna's relief. "S-Sorry, but you could stay here. If you'd like, I mean. I won't force you. Really. I just . . . don't want to hog a whole compartment. So if you want. It would be nice to have someone to talk to. Er . . ." Tsuna nervously rubbed the back of his head, cheeks turning redder with every passing second that the other boy eyed him.

The boy he assumed was his agemate seemed unsure, almost as much as Tsuna was, but he still sat down after hesitating for the briefest of seconds.

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves," the other boy finally murmured. "I'm Neville Longbottom, first year."

"Oh! I'm T-Tsunayoshi Sawada. I'm a first year, t-too." Neville smiled at him, his splotchy face lighting up at the idea of a kindred spirit in nerves.

"It's nice to meet you Tu-na-yoe-shee," Neville attempted. Tsuna smiled back, happy that he wasn't the only one who didn't seem good at this socializing thing.

"Tsu-na-yo-shi," Tsuna repeated. "It's a Japanese name," he explained. "Most people just call me Dame—um, I mean, Tsuna. Just Tsuna." Neville nodded gratefully and repeated the shortened name a few times until he managed to say it without butchering it.

"Sorry," Neville apologized for how long it took him to get his new friend's name right.

"It's okay," Tsuna responded back, truly not minding that the English boy had made the mistake. "It's r-really not the worst thing t-to have happened to me. I mean, it's nice that someone is being so nice." Neville looked rather concerned at those words, but there something akin to agreement in his expression. Just when he was about to open his mouth to respond, the compartment door opened without so much as a knock.

A student, one Tsuna recognized as the frizzy haired brunette girl who'd run into the silver haired boy on the train platform, entered. She was already in her school robes, new ones, by their looks, and appeared quite frazzled and nervous. Therefore, she was in perfect company. Tsuna and Neville were still treading around each other with only slightly abated nerves.

"I'm T-Tsunayoshi Sawada," he introduced, voice trembling with said unconquered nerves. "But everyone calls me Tsuna," he added, going red.

"Neville Longbottom." Neville, Tsuna realized, was almost too much like him. He was quiet and easily just as terrified of this world as he was. "We're first years."

"I'm Hermione Granger, first year." Even though she tried to hide it, there was a slight tremor to her voice and once more, Tsuna hoped that here was a third person attending Hogwarts for the first time who didn't seem to reek of false confidence.

"Nice t-to meet you," Tsuna said as the girl sat down. Neville shifted next to Tsuna and Hermione sat on her own opposite the two boys. For a few moments everyone stared at each other.

"So, do you all know what house you want to be in? I want to be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw." And then the ice was shattered. Hermione began to babble on about the qualities of each house, barely pausing for breath, gaining confidence the more she rambled. The other two children in the compartment silently stared, but they were not unhappy with the turn of events. Eventually, though, the girl slowed and waited for the answer to the question she had asked what felt like ages before. _What house_ did _they want to be in?_

Neville started, barely seeming to miss a beat. "Gryffindor, like my family. I think my Gran would have a heart attack if I wasn't in my parents' house. She thought I was a Squib for a while." The boy blushed at his sudden confession. "Though I'll probably be in Hufflepuff."

"What's a Squib?" Tsuna wondered aloud.

Hermione jumped in to explain. "A non-magical person born to magical parents. The opposite of a muggleborn."

Tsuna formed a small 'o' with his mouth before nodding and looking over to Neville. The boy with the hidden lightning bolt scar smiled at his new acquaintance. He truly felt like he had found someone like him. A comrade. Almost every word (kind of unfortunately, for Neville) seemed to reaffirm this thought.

"I'm sure you'll find a house that fits," Hermione said with a small frown clearly picking up on the same lack of confidence Tsuna himself was seeing. "And you, Tsuna?"

"Er . . . from what y-you said I'm probably a Hufflep-puff." He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. Nobody argued. They really couldn't. Everything, from his anxious stutter to the way he seemed to tuck into himself screamed the House of the Badgers.

"So, Tsuna, out of curiosity, where are you from? Your name doesn't sound British." Hermione, what a _wonderfully_ perceptive girl.

"It isn't," he muttered, absently wondering why a foreign sounding name automatically meant that he was not from Britain. Still he would answer the girl, because she was right, if one ignored technicalities. "I was raised in Japan. I didn't actually speak any English until I was given a potion which allowed me to."

"That's odd. I would have thought that Japan had its own magical school. Most countries or continents do." Tsuna did not bother explaining under what circumstances he was going to Hogwarts. He was positive they would all eventually learn why, but until something forced the truth to come out, he would keep it hidden. If Hagrid had been right in saying that he was practically famous, that is (and so far, from his experience in Diagon Alley, this was turning out to be true). "But the fact that you were given a language potion is really cool! Did you know that they only use those in pressing matters due to the number of side effects that they cause?" And Hermione was at it again, blabbing away about the pros and cons of language potions and how it was incredibly rare that they would have even considered giving Tsuna one. And Tsuna just smiled and nodded, hoping to whatever higher being out there that she would not pick up on the smaller points of his circumstance.

The train ride went much like the first five minutes of them all meeting. Hermione would ask a question, rush in to answer it first and then wait for the others to quickly add in their own thoughts. Neville would stutter and blush as he answered, usually embarrassed of the answer. Tsuna would be trying to make sense of half the words that came from their mouths, unsure of half the terms that they were using before giving up and asking them to explain certain things. Between Neville who'd been raised in magical society and Hermione who'd read every book she could get her hands on, he was well covered in terms of the wider aspects of wizarding life.

Still, despite Hermione's know-it-all chattering and Neville's constant nervous fidget, Tsuna was oddly relaxed. For once in his life, he could sit in content silence and just listen, nodding along and adding his very limited opinions when prompted.

However, their odd interview-like conversation only lasted about half the train ride before Neville realised that he had lost his toad. Hermione and Neville left to find it while Tsuna remained behind to keep their claim on their compartment.

Tsuna disappeared into his thoughts. Hermione was like him, almost like Neville was, but in a fairly different way. She was from a muggle family and had never heard of the secret wizard society until she had received her letter. Unlike him, she had been desperate to fit in to this newly discovered world and had read as much as she could, soaking up the information until she could vomit it all back up at a moment's notice. Tsuna had never fit in and had figured that there was really no point in trying. He was surprised he had even a single person willing to talk to him, let alone two, but he figured that as soon as they realized what a hopeless, no-good klutz he was, they would probably distance themselves from him anyways. Just like everyone else did.

Tsuna sighed at how pathetic he was. He really wasn't even going to try and keep these people as his friends?

Well, he could try, but experience had taught him that it really wasn't up to him in the end. Everyone he had tried to befriend in the past had quickly decided that poor No-Good Tsuna was not worth their time and abandoned him. It really would not be long before he was abandoned, just like he was every time he thought he had made a new friend.

The compartment doors opened suddenly. Tsuna jumped, looking up at the doors, expecting either Hermione or Neville but instead seeing a vaguely familiar pale boy tailed by two larger ones. The pale boy was clearly the leader of the group. His hair was practically white and slick, his eyes light and searching. His two guards were like clones. Both were tall, rotund and seemed to be lacking in the mental department. It took Tsuna a second to recognize where it was that he knew their leader. He had been in Diagon Alley, in the shop where Tsuna had been fitted for his school robes, and talked to him about Quidditch, and other, less savoury, topics.

The blonde boy eyed Tsuna, but clearly did not like what he saw. Still, he opened his mouth to speak, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

"Word is that Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts this year. Have you seen him?" His tone was as cool as his appearance. Tsuna shivered, instinctively shaking his head before remembering that he was not actually Tsunayoshi Sawada and that yes, he _had_ seen Harry Potter because _he_ was Harry Potter. Still, he doubted this boy's intentions were any good and stuck with his negative response.

"Shame. Been up and down almost this whole train and no one has seen or heard anything. It's rather odd." The boy scoffed.

Tsuna bowed his head, ensuring that the small lightning bolt on his forehead was hidden beneath his spiky bangs. "I guess."

The blonde boy suddenly recognized Tsuna. "You're that boy from Madam Malkin's." He sneered. Clearly, when Tsuna had fallen off the stool during his fitting, he had not left a good impression. Tsuna was also, apparently, not worthy of the boy's attention. "Crabbe, Goyle, come on." The boy left the compartment. Tsuna did his best to ignore his trembling fists.

Hermione and Neville returned minutes later. Unfortunately, neither had found Neville's toad, Trevor.

"I did speak to the driver, though," Hermione added at the end of her explanation of the various people she'd met, most of whom seemed quite nice. "He said we'll be arriving soon. You should probably get your robes on."

Neville and Tsuna both hurried off to the boy's bathroom at the end of the train and into separate stalls. Neither of the two boys were confident in their own bodies, clearly, to even consider just changing in their compartment.

Tsuna admired himself in the mirror for a few minutes, marvelling at the feel of clothes made especially for him. He was used to hand-me-downs. Sure, wizarding style was vastly different from muggle style with its swathes of fabric and length, but it was comfortable and fun to walk around in. Neville, who had already been dressed in wizarding robes as he came from a pureblood family, merely looked a bit sharper in his pure black robes. The two boys smiled uncomfortably at each other before going back to their compartment.

Only about ten minutes after the group reunited, the train was pulling into the station. The sky had grown dark in the thirty minutes the final stretch of the journey had taken, but the lights of the town shined brightly, illuminating the station platform. Students flooded the platform in seconds and were corralled toward some more lights in the distance.

As Tsuna stepped off the train, his compartment mates following closely behind him, he gaped slightly at the pure volume of people milling about. At the station in London, there really hadn't seemed to be so many students, mostly just families. But here, it was obvious that there really were just that many students.

Hermione tugged on Tsuna's robes, causing him to flinch. The girl made a strange face but said only what she was planning on saying. "Tsuna, hurry up, they're calling for First Years over there." Tsuna suddenly became aware of the fact that he was blocking the exit to the train and Hermione was right; not too far from where he was, a man was calling for first year students in a deep, rumbling voice. Tsuna's ears perked up as he recognized the familiar slur of letters and the dropping of others. _Hagrid_.

Tsuna hurried over as quickly as he could, happy that the giant was there. He was something that was at least partially familiar in a sea of strange and unknown. Hagrid was the one who'd taken him away from his pathetic life in a swirl of magic and kindness.

Hagrid, black eyes like large shiny beads obscured by his wiry beard of the same colour, took note of Tsuna's presence and thankfully only nodded his head in greeting. Tsuna smiled at him.

Once most of the platform was cleared, the giant man led the Tsuna and his fellow first years in the opposite direction of where the older students had gone. The boy panicked. Was this part of their initiation? Were they going to have to fight something to prove that they were magical? Swear an oath? Perform a ritual? Tsuna really did not want to dance naked under the moonlight.

The nerves that Tsuna had been quelling all day suddenly surged through him once more. Even if he didn't know how to use it, the brunette held his wand tightly in trembling fingers. The phoenix core seemed to grow warm in his grip but did nothing more to offer comfort.

Despite his worries, however, Tsuna realized that there wasn't much to fear except the dark depths of the enormous lake that was surrounding them the moment they had broken through the line of pines. Directly in front of where they had exited the woods was a lit dock with several small boats floating ominously beside it, ready to be boarded and possibly sink as soon as they had travelled any significant distance. They didn't seem overly sturdy, but Tsuna assumed there had to be some type of magic involved. Otherwise, he took it back—there was most definitely something to fear.

But then his gaze shifted upwards and he wondered how he had missed it. Up above him, perched on a rocky cliff and across the glittering, moonlit waters, was a large castle, glowing warmly through the night, beckoning with its promises of _home_ and _comfort_. Towers and spires reached up for the stars, their height only evident because of the hundreds of windows that allowed for the escape of orange light. Were they classrooms? Hallways? His mind reeled as he took in the vision that seemed to come straight out of a story book. What must it appear to look like during the day?

Tsuna's awed attention was ripped away when Hagrid, kindly and with much excitement, ordered the new students to get into the boats. Three children per boat, which worked out perfectly—Tsuna and his two new friends could fit into one. Tsuna sat with Neville behind Hermione. He didn't miss how his mates looked down at the water that was so close beside them, neither appearing comfortable with how deep it looked even this close to shore.

And then Hagrid made a motion and the boats were treading across black water. The castle that had been looming in the distance was soon hovering above them, threatening to fall upon them. Tsuna's chocolate eyes didn't leave its main tower until the rocky cliff interrupted his view.

Their mini fleet had just gone into the mouth of a giant cave whose home was beneath the stony precipices supporting the castle. Its entrance had been obscured by a thick curtain of ivy whose tips dangled in the water beneath. The cave itself was lit by torches and held a sturdier dock than the one at which they had boarded.

The boats required no steering to line themselves up at the dock so that the students could unload themselves. Some students, like Tsuna, looked around with eyes misted with curiosity. Others were anxious about the door, the only way in or out of the cave. Hermione had taken up babbling again. Tsuna only needed a moment to spy Neville who was nodding uncomfortably every few moments to whatever the brunette girl was saying.

A woman dressed in emerald green robes had entered at some point when Tsuna was busy analyzing the cave. She was tall and thin, her wrinkled face angular, her greying hair pulled back tightly and tucked beneath a hat of matching green that was completed with a long feather. She must have been something akin to pretty in her younger years, Tsuna thought. Now, however, she was watching them all with stern hawk eyes.

"If you would all be so kind as to quiet down," she projected into the cave. The children, recognizing the woman's authority, quieted. "Thank you. I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House and teacher of Transfiguration at Hogwarts. In a few moments, I will lead you upstairs to the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your Houses. Your Houses will be like your family during your years here. You will sleep, eat and attend classes with them. There are four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." Tsuna's ears perked up at her dislike for the last house. Then again, during their discussions on the train, it seemed as if everyone held that house in distaste. It was strictly reserved for the sly trouble makers. Like that platinum blond boy that he'd met twice now, but whose name was still a mystery.

"Thank you, Hagrid," the professor continued. The giant nodded his head before hurrying off through the door. "If you would all follow me."

The air surrounding the eleven-year-olds was now heavy with excitement and dread. This was the moment that would dictate how their seven years at Hogwarts School would be. What if something went wrong and he didn't belong to any house? What if his very presence here was a mistake? What if he wasn't even Harry Potter?! _Hiiie_!

They went two by two up old stone steps and came out of the cave to a large, arched entry way. Right beside them was a set of tall wooden doors, so huge that it was as if they had taken giants into account when building them. They were closed, however, there was cool air coming through the gap beneath the door that led Tsuna to believe that these were the front doors to the castle.

After telling them to wait, McGonagall disappeared, leaving the anxious eleven-year-olds to stand and wait. During this wait, the blond boy from the train, still closely watched by his two oversized bodyguards, made a point to say that Harry Potter was supposed to be in their year. Other students, understanding the significance of this statement chattered with excitement, everyone responding by making eye contact with as many students as possible, hoping to be the one to point the Boy-Who-Lived out to the crowd. Tsuna only felt himself shrinking back. Why was Harry Potter such a big deal? Tsuna understood what Hagrid had told him about his supposed heroics, but _honestly_. Sure, the mad man that had practically torn apart magical Britain had vanished that night in his house, but he had just been a baby. How could he have done anything? He couldn't even remember anything!

This was one of many moments where Tsuna doubted his newly revealed identity. He had been one, supposedly, when Voldemort had been defeated, and yet he had always been led to believe that he was born and raised in Japan. He could not associate with his baby self. He had always believed that he had never even been outside Japan, so how could he be the child who had defeated the one man that all British wizards trembled at the thought of? There was an incredible disconnect and, boy, was it an uncomfortable one.

"We are ready for you now." McGonagall had returned in a flurry of brilliant green robes and had pushed open two more doors, not as large as the ones Tsuna had first noted, but still a great deal larger than any you would find in a house, let alone a mansion.

The sight she revealed upon pushing the doors open was warm and welcoming. A grand hall with five long tables, four stretching the length of the hall and one at the end, perpendicular to the others and far shorter. Students dressed in black robes with small coloured crests on their breasts watched them intently as they filed between the two centre tables. Hermione's chuntering quickened as her nerves worsened in response to the hundreds of eyes upon them. Tsuna caught something about the ceiling and so, turned his gaze upwards and realized what the girl was muttering about.

Directly above him, despite the tall beams that rose from the floor beside him and should have obscured the ceiling, was the night sky exactly as he'd seen it on the boat. It was dark blue and speckled with thousands of white stars that twinkled and winked at him. It was beautiful, a sight he would remember as one of most vivid from that night.

His sky gazing, however, led to their arrival at the front of the hall coming quicker than it should have. He was so scared, he was shaking, and his hands were embarrassingly clammy.

In front of an ornate owl-decorated podium and just before the few steps that led up to what Tsuna assumed was the staff table, was a simple stool which supported a ratty old hat. Tsuna's eyes travelled between said hat and the man he realized could only be the headmaster sitting front and centre at the staff table.

He was an old man, older than McGonagall, even. The clean white beard that disappeared beneath the surface of the table was enough to prove his age. His robes were plum coloured, matching his long, droopy hat. But his eyes, even at this distance, Tsuna could tell, were watching him behind half-moon spectacles. Tsuna looked away, uncomfortable.

Just at that moment, a large crease on the ratty old hat on the stool opened and words came out. Despite most of the first years' confusion, everyone else in the hall watched with avid interest.

The hat was rhyming, its words a description of each house and what their founders had valued. It was information he had already gathered on the train, but still Tsuna was fascinated. Had the hat sat around all year to think of this song? Or had someone else written it and bewitched the hat to sing it? What were the limits of magic? Could it truly do anything?

When the hat had finished its poem, the hall broke into applause. The first years joined in hesitantly before McGonagall, still standing beside the hat, pulled a roll of parchment from her robes. Her eyes skimmed it and then she began to read off names.

Students that were called practically ran up the steps before seating themselves on the stool so the aged professor could place the hat upon their heads. Tsuna's mind briefly drifted to thoughts of lice before he understood suddenly how they were sorted.

Susan Bones, one of the first to be sorted had sat down for only a few seconds when the hat, using the same crease as before, shouted out Hufflepuff. _The hat was deciding their house_. Tsuna wondered how legitimate this practice was. How could a hat, something completely unalive, decide where students from various backgrounds with various habits and traits would go? It seemed wrong and almost inappropriate. To Tsuna, at least.

McGonagall ran through the list. The first of his compartment mates to be sorted was Hermione, with the last name Granger. Her steps were more careful and precise, probably so that she would not trip on the way up (to which Tsuna reminded himself he should do the same). The hat came down on her head, sitting over the bushiness of her hair and covering her eyes. There was complete and utter silence as they waited for the hat to shout out the name of a house.

A few minutes ticked by and just when Tsuna was wondering if they were going to be there all night, the hat's creased parted and it shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Hermione, after McGonagall had removed the hat, scurried down the steps to the cheering table just behind them.

A few more names were called before it was Neville's turn. He was just as nervous as every other student climbing the few steps to the stool. He sat down on it and the hat, too, fell over his eyes, too big for his head.

As silence overtook the hall for the second time that night, Tsuna hoped feverishly that Neville got his wish and made it into Gryffindor. The Japanese-raised boy understood as well as anyone what unmet expectations could do to a child. If the pudgy boy ended up in any House besides Gryffindor, the poor boy's heart would break.

He took a similar amount of time to Hermione before the hat called out, "Gryffindor!" in much of the same manner as it had for their female friend. Tsuna himself released a sigh of relief. Neville himself was so excited to have been sorted into the same house as his family that he ran down the steps before the professor could remove the hat from his head. He had to go back up, red with embarrassment, to return it.

McGonagall was going through the letters of the alphabet too quickly for Tsuna's liking. Sure, he was curious as to what house he would go to, even if he was already sure that it would probably be Hufflepuff, but he wanted to know what it was like to wear the hat.

What he had forgotten about when they reached the P's, however, was that as a wizarding hero, he was most likely registered under that name that he felt no connection with. So, when McGonagall opened her mouth to speak and the name rolled off her tongue with well-practised familiarity, Tsuna was suddenly white as a sheet. He was shaking and he couldn't move. Students began whispering.

McGonagall repeated the name. "Harry Potter!"

Tsunayoshi Sawada, also known as Harry Potter, stepped out from the remaining group of unsorted children, prepared for the worst.

* * *

Author's Note: So, we have got ourselves a nice mix bag of characters here. Tsuna, Hermione, Neville, Mukuro and Chrome, so far. Who else do you think is going to be going to Hogwarts? Who do you want to see? Who do you _not_ want to see? Of course, I also want to hear your predictions for the future.

Thanks everyone for the support! I appreciate every favourite, follow and review :)


	3. Those He Befriends

**Part I:** **The Boy-Who-Lived**

 **Two: Those He Befriends**

The subtle whispering that had broken out across the hall was suddenly a cacophony of chatter, loud and unpleasant. Tsuna, who had the presence of mind to sneak a glance at the two students he'd befriended on the train, was met with shocked stares. The Boy-Who-Lived, whose heart was now about ready to exit his chest, took a second, less hesitant step forward. The worst was over. The shock had happened and there was no going back. Everyone knew, if they hadn't figured it out yet. He was Harry Potter, but damn it all if he couldn't figure out a way to forsake that blasted name!

Halfway up the steps the brunette stumbled and tripped. Everyone burst out into sharp, taunting laughter. Tsuna ignored the way his eyes started to water and the flashbacks from school in Japan. No matter where he was, it was all the same; children were cruel and thoughtless and would sooner make fun of his clumsiness than even bother to see if he was alright.

For all his embarrassment, Tsuna managed to stand on his own, ignore the pitying look that Professor McGonagall gave him and sit down on the rickety stool with a huff. The professor sat the stiff old hat on his head and the last thing he saw was a crowd of students waiting to hear the hat cry out his House.

Then, darkness.

Immediately, a voice, scratchy and patient, echoed in his mind.

 _Another Vongola, yes? Strange, yes, very strange. A poor, poor mind corroded by years of purposeful neglect, but a soul unlike any other. A heart strengthened by the need to love and be loved. But the soul, yes, yes, that soul of yours is key. It's hidden, yet strong, but it has yet to reach its potential! You're cunning, and I can see that there is a distinct stream of ambition that runs through your veins. Why, I could place you in Slytherin and you_ could _do well there if you tried. I have sent Vongola there in the past but . . . something in you tells me that you desire another house. Well, I suppose you_ are _too kind for that nest of snakes._

Tsuna remained silent, listening eagerly, if a bit worryingly to the words the Hat said to him. Only part of his subconscious was wondering why the Sorting Hat continued to reference the name _Vongola_.

 _And wisdom, my boy! You seem to just radiate wisdom. Ravenclaw herself would welcome you with open arms . . . but the others in that house, while I feel you could make friends there, they just would not understand my putting you there. In fact, I feel that they would tear apart your soul, that beautiful, beautiful soul of yours. No, Ravenclaw is not where you belong, even if I know that you could do well there, if you so wished it._

 _Hufflepuff, I feel, may be a good fit for you. You would find no shortage of friends, no, you would even find the support you need there. Despite the horrible stereotypes, Hufflepuff is truly the House of hidden gems. But it's a poor fit for that soul of yours. There's just something inside you that not even gentle Hufflepuff would be able to temper. Yes, that strong soul of yours makes you difficult to place. You ache inside. You want to_ be _someone. You don't want to be Harry Potter. You want to be Tsunayoshi Sawada. A difficult path. A brave path. Bravery, it's the heart of hearts within you. You can't see it, yet, and neither can the others, but you are a bringer of change. Your courage will allow you to gain many allies. Yes, yes, I see now, you quiet boy. It was so very clear right from the very beginning. You'll do best in—_

 _"_ GRYFFINDOR!" The hall burst into rabid applause as the Sorting Hat was lifted from Tsuna's head and he could see again. His eyes scanned the hall, searching for Hermione and Neville. Instead, he found himself staring at the table on his far left. It was silent, but the students in green watched him all the same, even that older boy from the train platform who'd been talking to the grandfatherly figure.

Realizing he had overstayed his welcome on the stool, he stumbled down the steps from the stool and into the awaiting crowd. They ushered him over to the Gryffindor table where a pair of twins were crying out how they "got Potter," but Tsuna frowned at them, trying to sit a bit separate from the rowdy group. He didn't, however, argue, when Neville moved closer. The action caused a feeling of hope to surge in his chest. Maybe he hadn't screwed things up by not telling them that he was Harry Potter. Maybe he could be forgiven . . .

Tsuna settled with just smiling (there would be time for words later, he was sure) and turned his attention back to the sorting, or so it seemed. He appeared to be watching, but his eyes were glazed over in thought.

Harry Potter. Such a simple name, but the effect that it had had on everyone sitting in the Great Hall was . . . rather intimidating. Was he truly _that_ famous? Once more he wondered if they had the right person. He had always been Dame-Tsuna, the class klutz and town embarrassment. Now it was as if every wizard in Britain expected him to live up to some overgrown hype. It was as he had told Hagrid that night when the giant had told him the truth.

( _But I'm Tsuna. Just Tsuna.)_

He managed pull himself out of his thoughts when that pale blond boy was called up shortly after him. One Draco Malfoy was promptly sorted into Slytherin bare seconds after the Hat was placed atop his fair head.

Eventually, Chrome Rokudo, the girl whose mother had helped him onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, was called up and Tsuna's eyes flickered over to the boy he knew was her brother, sitting amongst a group of sinister looking Slytherins. The blue haired boy wasn't paying them any mind, instead completely focused on his younger, sickly looking sister who was gripping her sides tightly even as she sat on the stool.

The Sorting Hat was silent for several precious moments before it called out, "Gryffindor!" Tsuna glanced back at Chrome's brother. For the briefest of seconds, he swore that the Slytherin had upon his face an expression akin to pride. Whatever it was, it was gone in an instant, replaced with a haughty scowl that Tsuna was quickly coming to associate with all Slytherins.

Chrome, once the hat had been removed from her head, glanced over at her brother who nodded at her. She nodded back. That was the end of any communication between the two siblings for the rest of the night.

With Blaise Zabini becoming a Slytherin, the sorting ceremony was completed. Everyone gave a final round of applause to all newly sorted children before returning their attention to the front of the Great Hall where the Headmaster was currently standing.

With a tone that was thick with decades of wisdom and patience, he thanked McGonagall and added his words of congratulations to those who had been sorted. Tsuna listened with half an ear, barely registering the four strangest words ever said in succession of each other: "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

"H-Huh?" Tsuna blinked, wondering if it was a side effect of the language potion he'd taken. To be sure, he sent a confused glance to Neville who seemed just as lost as he shrugged in response. And then, like magic (it was magic, Tsuna reminded himself, feeling stupid), food appeared before them.

All the students began filling their golden plates with steaming food and savory sauces. Tsuna eyed the food, noting with disappointment the lack of Japanese cuisine, but followed suit, grabbing several slices of meat and some rice before drizzling it with the sauce nearest to him. Even if it was British food, it was more food than he had seen in his entire life and there was no one to tell him how much he could or couldn't eat. He wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, even an odd one.

It was about halfway through dinner before anyone really said anything to him. Tsuna had been hoping everyone forgot, but he guessed Harry Potter was just too much of a well-known figure to let matters lie. It was, surprisingly, Neville who started the conversation.

"So, why'd you lie to us?" he asked, most of the food on his plate gone. It took Tsuna a moment to realize that the chubby boy was speaking to him. When he did, he choked on the rice he was eating, bright red flooding his face. Hermione, sitting opposite him, grimaced as rice shot across the table.

"Hiie! I didn't lie. I swear!" Neville and Hermione each raised an eyebrow at him. "Ah, I mean, it's kind of hard to explain." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Their expressions did not move an inch. "I only found out my name was actually Harry a month ago!" he finally acquiesced, blush deepening. "I didn't know I was a wizard, let alone who Harry Potter was, and then Hagrid comes into my life and tells me I'm this world-famous hero that killed this evil guy and I'm supposed to just accept that?" Tsuna lowered his head to hide his embarrassment as he realized that more than just his two friends were looking at him. Tsuna dropped his voice down to a quieter volume. "I just . . ." His shoulders sagged. "I've always been Tsuna, ever since I could remember. And this Harry Potter that everyone seems to talk about, it's not me, not really. At least, it doesn't feel like me. I just wanted to . . . stay normal. Just for a bit longer. I would have told you guys eventually!" Tsuna truly wished that the floor beneath him would open up and swallow him whole. The judging stares were something he was all too familiar with and they rarely led to anything good.

"I guess that makes sense . . ." Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Well, when Hagrid explained to me how famous Harry, I mean, _I_ was, I didn't want to make friends just because I was famous. I've always had a hard time making friends. For once I just wanted to make some on my own." He blushed at his sudden confession, but, to his surprise the others nodded.

"I've only known you for a few hours, but you seem pretty nice. And, to be honest, I've never really been good at making friends, either," Neville assured him with a happy smile, secretly happy that he wasn't the only one who'd had such issues as a child. Hermione, too, smiled her agreement.

Tsuna ducked his head again, wondering how much hotter his face could get. How embarrassing!

Still, now that he was away from his family and those who would work to scare away potential candidates, making friends was easy. He didn't think he would ever be able to express how happy he was that he had not messed up his first chance outside of Japan to find friends.

The newly formed trio finished their meal while chatting amiably with each other. Hermione explained that her parents were dentists, clarifying to Neville that that meant that they looked after people's teeth. She went on to explain her parents' pride when they learned of her ability to use magic. Tsuna smiled at that, just a little jealous.

Neville told of how he lived with his grandmother, a stuffy old lady who seemed to pick at every single thing her grandson did. While telling the story of how his family thought he was a Squib until they learned otherwise when his uncle let him fall from a window, Neville's ears turned bright pink.

Tsuna, when expressing stories about his own home in Japan, said about as little as he could, avoiding saying anything too specific and instead sticking with stories of general Japanese life. He explained how his (foster) father was mostly away for work, leaving his (foster) mother to raise him and his (adopted) brother alone. His brother was the polar opposite of him. He was strong and popular and athletic and smart. His mother was a little air headed, but meant well, most of the time. He left out that the _most of the time_ part strictly excluded him. Besides that, he was incredibly tightlipped concerning his family.

During the meal, Tsuna learned that he enjoyed British desserts. He loved the chocolate pudding and the pumpkin pasties. He enjoyed the sweets while listening to Neville talk about the wizarding world. Hermione was asking him questions about the things she had read in some of her books. Tsuna learned about Quidditch and wizarding medical care, as well as house elves and animal familiars.

When dessert had cleared away in much the same manner as dinner, the Headmaster stood again, this time walking up to the podium and clearing his throat dramatically. The students all fell silent.

"Welcome to all new faces seated here with us and welcome back to all familiar faces. I'm sure you've all forgotten much of your education over the summer and are eager to gain it all back. First, however, I must tell you all several things. One of which is that, as per every year since its naming, the Forbidden Forest is _forbidden_. As is performing magic in the halls and several other things which you can find on the list posted outside of Mr Filch's office." Dumbledore cleared his throat here. "For the sixteenth year in a row, our fellow wizards from Italy will joining us. They have still had little luck in finding their school since they lost it." He cracked a smile, amusement lighting up his eyes. "Next, the third floor corridor is off limits to all who do not wish to die a very painful death." The man smiled, his eyes twinkling.

Tsuna looked at Hermione and Neville and the thee exchanged skeptical glances. Then, the headmaster's words fully registered.

"Hiiie?!" _What kind of school was this?!_

"Now pick a tune and together, as is Hogwarts tradition, we will sing the school anthem." Tsuna did not appear to have heard, his eyes comically wide as off-key singing filled the hall. His mind was completely focused on the fact that there was a place in the school that could kill him and not by any foolish accident.

Neville didn't appear to be doing much better. He had gone oddly pale while Hermione looked queasy. Clearly, being warned off of an area in an ancient castle that was a school for magic did little to comfort three socially-awkward eleven-year-olds.

As the children came to terms with the totally out of place warning, the older students around them finished the anthem, the ginger twins at the Gryffindor table being the last to complete their dirge paced rendition.

Dumbledore, who had remained standing at the head of the great hall, seemed genuinely impressed at the twins' choice of tune and gave a small applause, before sending them off for the night. "That is all. Now pip, pip."

A fifth year prefect named Percy Weasley was the one who led them to their common room. It was up several flights of stairs and a decent workout after all the food. However, the cramps growing in Tsuna's side were easy to overlook in favor of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of moving portraits that covered the walls. Old fashioned nurses, men sleeping in chairs, young girls in pretty dresses and more greeted them as they walked past. Tsuna was one of the few who greeted them all in turn, awed by how such things could exist.

Finally, they reached a large portrait of an oversized woman dressed to the nines in pink. She had a demure look about her, and though her gaze seemed to look down at them, she kindly asked for the password.

"Cabot draconis," Percy supplied before explaining how the passwords worked. Tsuna gulped and shared a knowing look with Neville. How on earth were they to remember an ever-changing password that wasn't even in English?

But all worried thoughts left his head the moment he stepped through the portrait hole. Behind it was an entire sitting room bathed in warm firelight. There were desks for doing work, comfy scarlet chairs in front of a fireplace, carpets and drapes and tapestries, and everything was in shades of gold and red. Gryffindor colors, Tsuna was quick to acknowledge.

"Boys dormitories to the first door to the left and girls' the first to the right. You'll find that all of your things have already been brought up. Your schedules will be given to you tomorrow at breakfast." With that, Percy went to the left stairwell and disappeared up the steps. Tsuna and Neville followed soon after, some of the first boys in the room. Natsu, Tsuna's orange cat, was already curled up on the pillow of one of the beds, his things at the foot of the same bed. Neville's bed was beside his. The two of them changed quickly before scurrying under the covers, glad for the warmth they emitted. Both were ready for whatever their first day would bring.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Dawn came with a breath of cool air and a burst of sunlight over the mountains in the distance. The fires that were lit the night before had died to mere embers and would remain so until the sun set. Students were slowly preparing themselves for the first day of classes. Tsuna fumbled with his newly branded wizarding robes until Neville explained how to put them on. He pointed out the wand pocket and explained that until they were taking more advanced classes, they didn't need a wand brace so that was why the robes were made with them.

It was half past seven when Neville and Tsuna headed down towards the Great Hall. They both got lost several times and by the time they arrived, only a few older students dwindled, each gobbling down food so that they could get to classes.

"We're going to be late," Tsuna said as his shoulders sagged. Neville just shrugged as if he had already accepted his fate and then grabbed a piece of toast. Tsuna followed suit and then the two of them began the journey to their first class; Transfiguration.

When they arrived, the two learned that class had been in session for five minutes already. McGonagall sent them both to a desk near the back end of the room with a firm warning (and a threat to turn them into pocket watches) before continuing her introduction.

The week went by much like that, with relatively brief introductions followed by beginning theory. Tsuna found that less than half his teachers seemed to be suitable for their chosen profession.

Their Charms professor, Flitwick, was short and could barely see over his desk, which was rather sad when Tsuna noticed his passion for the subject. Professor Quirrell, their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, quivered and squeaked every time he saw his own shadow. In History of Magic, their professor must have seen half of the events of which he spoke, seeing as he was a ghost (and, from what Tsuna could tell, he didn't even seem to realize it!).

That's not to say that Hogwarts didn't have its share of competent, if overworked, teachers. Professor Sprout and McGonagall both clearly enjoyed their subjects, appearing to find great joy in what they taught even if their students didn't always feel the same way.

Tsuna's opinion of Hogwarts teachers was that they were all bearable, even if they weren't all capable. This opinion remained so until Friday when he met Professor Snape.

The class had started innocently enough. Students milled about in front of the doors to the dungeon-turned-classroom, waiting impatiently for the Head of Slytherin and resident potions professor to grant them entry.

"Snape's my godfather," Draco admitted in a hushed tone as if his words were the greatest secret in all the Wizarding World. Of course, his just-loud-enough-so-everyone-can hear tone said that he didn't mind if everyone knew. It was just another thing Malfoy could lord over all the others he was forced to learn with.

"Wow, Draco," Pansy Parkinson, another first year Slytherin, gushed, her pug-like face scrunching up in what Tsuna thought might have been envy. "I wish I had connections like that. You could be a potions master with a teacher like that as your godfather."

"Yeah, I think Father planned it that way. If I don't take over his position in the Ministry of Magic, I will at least have a backup career."

Tsuna, standing closer to the back of the crowd with Neville and Hermione, resisted the urge to shrink back and roll his eyes, settling instead to roll his eyes in his mind. It wasn't the same, of course, but Tsuna figured that no one needed to know just what he was thinking.

Next thing Tsuna knew, the door was open and thick, opaque fumes began creeping out into the torch lit hallway. Heat also escaped at its chance. And then they were being ushered into the classroom with a few clipped words from the greasy haired professor.

Tsuna, Hermione and Neville grabbed a section of four desks off to the right, surrounded by Gryffindors. Tsuna sat beside Neville while Hermione was left to sit alone in front of them. After only a few moments, Chrome, the shy girl who had yet to so much as say a word to anyone since the sorting, sat down beside Hermione who had no objections in the other girl's choice of seatmate.

Snape, with a sudden swirl of his cloak, was facing his new Gryffindor and Slytherin students, eying them all with a steady gaze. And then he conjured up the register, slowly reading out the names written upon it with a lazy drawl. Most he said without pause, but then, as it had been in every other class, Snape reached Tsuna's name and the pattern was broken.

"Harry . . . Potter." The name was greeted with a sneer. Tsuna felt himself shrink back, a tortoise with no shell. Neville, meanwhile, glanced over pityingly. In all of his other classes, Tsuna always quietly asked his teachers to call him not by the English name his parents gave him, but the name that his foster family had given him. While some teachers, like McGonagall, looked at him strangely, they had all accepted his request, if a bit sadly. Tsuna knew he would not be asking Snape anything of the sort, not with the way venom was practically dripping with every syllable.

"Y-Yes, sir?"

The professor's sneer deepened. "You appear to have mesmerized the school this year with your very presence." His lip twitched and Tsuna tried to ignore how much he was shaking, his hands clenched tightly in his lap. Snape, with a disgusted curl of his mouth, turning his attention back to the register to finish reading the names upon it. Tsuna, meanwhile, released a shaky breath.

Snape moved on to addressing the class.

"There will be no foolish wand waving here." Tsuna nearly sighed in relief. He had tried a few simple spells that Hermione had suggested, but none had worked. He was dreading when they moved on from theory in his classes. Maybe he wouldn't need to dread such things in this class. Then again . . . maybe he would be dreading a whole other aspect in this class.

"It is here you will learn the subtle art of potion making. You will learn to brew glory and even put a stopper on death . . . at least if you are different from the regular group of dunderheads I have to teach."

Tsuna swallowed.

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Tsuna's eyes widened. How was he supposed to know? He hadn't done much more than glance over his textbooks! Was he supposed to have read through them? Had anyone else?! Hiiiie!

He wracked his brains, ignoring Hermione who was bobbing in her seat, hand high in the air. Chrome was sending her worried glances.

"I don't know, sir." His voice was quiet, almost a squeak.

"Where would you look if I asked you to find a bezoar?" _A what? A bee-boar?_

"I don't know, sir." His eyes widened as with each question, Snape took a step closer to Tsuna's desk.

"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

By this point, Snape was standing before Tsuna's desk, arms crossed and expression cruel. Tsuna's doe eyes were shining with fear even in the dim light of the room. Everyone else was watching the showdown with either pity or glee.

"I-I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open up a textbook before coming to class, eh, Potter?" Some Slytherins chuckled. Snape picked up the unopened potions book on the eleven-year-old's desk and Tsuna flinched as it was suddenly slammed down before him.

"Clearly fame. Isn't. Everything." Snape turned back around and, thankfully, left him alone for the rest of class.

 **XxXxXxXxXxX**

"I just don't understand, Tsuna. What did you do to upset him? He acted like you had personally offended him or something." Hermione's eyes searched him from across the table they had settled into at the library. "It's just not right, the way he treated you." Clearly, Tsuna was not the only one who had been badly shaken by Snape's words in class. Hermione, who had had unwavering belief in the infallibility of school teachers was upset just as badly.

"I don't know either. Really." Tsuna stared miserably at the empty parchment he was supposed to be filling for Charms, an essay on the importance of proper wand movements.

"Maybe it wasn't something you did. It doesn't matter anyways, I can tell he hates me already, too." Neville was practically mirroring Tsuna's hopeless expression, but he was writing a letter to his Gran.

The Boy-Who-Lived sighed and leaned back in his chair. He felt eyes on his back as he had almost every day that week when he wasn't in class. He was almost positive it was Chrome's brother again, though he wasn't entirely sure why the boy was sort of stalking him. Tsuna was not ashamed to admit that he got nervous around him. The member of the house of snakes was always smirking, always staring with half lidded eyes as other first and second year Slytherins clamored around him, vying for his attention.

Even that Saturday morning at breakfast, Tsuna swore that the older boy was staring at him, quietly planning something . . . well, something _sinister_.

When Tsuna had asked Percy about the boy, the prefect had merely shrugged. "He's only second year. From what I've heard, he gives everyone the creeps. Just ignore him for now. I'm sure it's just because you're famous." Tsuna had tried to ignore him, he really, truly had, but he just found that the random staring intensified.

"It's probably just because you melted the cauldron," Hermione comforted awkwardly, but Neville shook his head.

"Nah, he hates me now. I can just tell. He's one of those people who you make mad once and he holds it against you forever. That and he seems to just really hate Gryffindors. Everyone says so."

"Don't say that, Neville!" Hermione looked flabbergasted at such a suggestion. "Next class you'll do better and then he won't bug you so much." The frizzy haired girl looked to Tsuna for support, but he was too busy staring at the approaching figure.

Decked out in the silver and green of Slytherin with indigo hair pulled back and eyes plagued with heterochromia, the second-year student stared down at the now trembling first year.

"Er . . . hello?" Tsuna managed as the boy finally stopped before him, ignoring the other two Gryffindors.

"Let's leave the library for someplace a little more private, no?" The boy's voice was silky, but there was a sharp edge to it. Chrome's brother, Mukuro Rokudo, turned and left the library, so confident in his impression that he didn't need to check if Tsuna was following.

And Tsuna _was_ following, despite Hermione and Neville shaking their heads and mouthing at him not to go.

The second-year Slytherin walked through hallways, ignoring the other students who walked on either side of him. Tsuna toddled after him until the hallways had suspiciously less students.

The older student opened a door with a flick of his wand and the two of them entered the dark corridor. Nonverbal magic?! Hermione said they learned nothing of the sort until they were in at least sixth year! There were no students in the hall that Mukuro had revealed, only low-lit torches, burning in their web-covered sconces.

"So, Harry Potter . . . or Tsunayoshi Sawada, I should say." The indigo haired boy spun on the younger Gryffindor.

"Y-Yes?" Tsuna squeaked, fingers clasping desperately for his wand, something he had yet to use, yet was already a comfort.

"Do you know why I've brought you here?" the twelve-year-old asked, twirling a pale wand in spindly fingers.

Tsuna shook his head quickly, his mouth open as he slowly backed up into a wall.

"I can't say I'm surprised. Gryffindors are not known for their brains. Tell me, Tsunayoshi, who is it that you have been spending your time with here, so far?"

Tsuna stared at the flickering torch light that was back lighting the boy he was currently talking to. "U-Um, well . . . you know . . ."

"No, I really _don't_. Enlighten me."

"Hermione a-and Neville."

"Yes." Tsuna's response elicited a cool smile. "Well, I'm here to change that. Chrome, my _sister._ You're housemates, no? You've seen her around, attended classes together, but you haven't really spoken, have you? Kufufu~" The boy's laughter was startlingly terrifying and Tsuna's fight-or-flight instincts were screaming at him to get the _hell_ out of there. "Chrome is why I have brought you here. Now do you know what this conversation is about?"

Again, Tsuna shook his head.

"Then listen here and listen good, Tsunayoshi. Chrome is my sister. She has always been on the shy side and has never been in great health. In fact, her very attendance to this school was threatened by her poor health. Because of these circumstances, she has a terrible time making friends, but I have been watching you and I think, out of all the bumbling fools in Gryffindor, you are the best candidate to befriend her."

"Hiiie! What?"

"Did I stutter, Tsunayoshi? I want you to befriend Chrome. You do not tell her I approached you. You do not let on that you are only doing this as a _favour_ to me. You approach her as if it was your own choice, and you involve her in your school life. You don't ask her about her home life. You don't make her do anything that she does not want to do. You do anything, and I mean _anything_ to hurt her in anyway and I will make sure you never live another day. You let someone else hurt her without doing anything, I'll make sure you never live another day. You so much as look at her the wrong way and I will make sure that you. Never. Live. Another. Day."

The boy's words were punctuated by a wand held to Tsuna's throat, an uncomfortable heat emphasizing the contact. The Slytherin grinned, one red and one blue eye glinting in the torch lit darkness.

"Is all this getting through to you, Tsunayoshi?" Tsuna swallowed and nodded furiously, not a single thought of defiance crossing his mind.

"Good. You'll find Chrome hanging around the Great Hall this time of day, so you better head over there if you want to properly introduce yourself to her."

Again, Tsuna nodded, desperately wishing that the conversation would end.

"I'm Mukuro Rokudo, by the way. It's been a pleasure." And then he was gone. Tsuna sagged against the stone wall, relief flooding through him.

Knowing his friends would be worried about him, Tsuna scurried from the corridor, oblivious to the watchful gaze of a teacher hidden in the next hall.

Back in the library, Hermione and Neville both exchanged worried glances.

"Are you okay?" Neville was quick to ask as Hermione scanned over him, looking for any signs of injury.

"Fine. It was nothing. Just a few bits of advice."

"About what?" Hermione asked, her expression betraying her disbelief. "And why?"

Tsuna shrugged and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Doesn't matter anymore, does it?" The three of them returned to their previous work, but both Hermione and Neville continued to exchange skeptical glances between each other. Tsuna just pretended he didn't see them. After all, Tsuna had survived worse threats and this one, by far, had the easiest promise to carry out.

* * *

It was the next day before Tsuna finally plucked up the courage to approach Chrome. Just as Mukuro had said, she was in the Great Hall around three in the afternoon, her books and several rolls of parchment spread around her, chewing on the end of her quill thoughtfully. Students seated around her, especially ones not from Gryffindor, occasionally gave her eye patch strange looks.

Tsuna walked towards her, taking extra care not to trip over his feet, only stopping when he stood opposite the purple-haired girl.

He cleared his throat. "Er, excuse me, Chrome?"

The girl looked up, single eye wide with surprise, dropping her quill in shock. "Oh, hello," she said softly. Tsuna was sure that this was the first time he had heard her speak at school. Even in classes and in the common room, she'd not said a word. "Was there, um, something you wanted?" she asked to break the silence.

Tsuna startled. "Oh! Yeah! Um, I was wondering if you wanted to join my friends and I in the library to go over some Potions homework. You are always sitting here by yourself, so . . ."

Chrome smiled shyly at him, a dusting of pinks now on her cheeks. "That would be very nice," she agreed with a happy nod. So Tsuna, the kind child that he was, helped Chrome gather her things into her book-bag and walked her to the Great Hall entrance where Hermione and Neville had been told to meet him. If they were shocked to see him standing there with Chrome, they did not show it and easily assimilated her into their group.

The brunette himself ignored the set of eyes following him out of the hall, knowing without a doubt who they belonged to. Mukuro got what he wanted and Tsuna could honestly say that he didn't mind Chrome and was more than happy to be friends with her. Their group had gone from three socially awkward children to four.

Besides, even numbers were better than odd, no?

* * *

AN: Thanks for all of the reviews, favourites and follows from the previous chapter! I loved them all.

Thoughts? Ideas? Questions?


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